Biology

Pinsir is a bipedal, insectoid Pokémon with a wide, dull brown body divided into segments by thin lines. On top of its head is a large pair of gray, spiky pincers on top of its head. In its mouth are many long, flat teeth arranged horizontally and it has triangular eyes. Its legs are short and thick, while its arms are long and thin. It has three claws on each hand and foot; two of its toes face forward and one backward.

Pinsir can use its pincers to crush, toss, bludgeon, or tear opponents, lift things twice its weight, and shatter logs. Captured prey is kept in place by the piercing thorns and sheer strength of Pinsir's horns and will not be released until they are torn in half. In addition to hunting prey, the anime has shown that it enjoys tree sap. Pinsir lives deep in the forest, where it burrows underground or hides in the treetops on nights cold enough to render it immobile. In Alola, it has a rivalry with Vikavolt and gets along with Heracross.

As Mega Pinsir, it gains a large pair of clear, yellow wings with an area of orange venation near the base. Additionally, a set of brown wing coverings appear. Slicing through each wing cover is a pair of orange blades. Its arms become longer and it has a T-shaped spike on each forearm. The pincers on its head are now longer with larger spikes, and its eyes are now yellow. When it Mega Evolves, Pinsir is left in a constant state of excitement. Mega Pinsir can travel up to approximately 30 mph (50 km/h) and uses its two large horns to pierce its enemies before shredding them.

In the anime

Major appearances

Multiple Pinsir appeared in A Sappy Ending, where they were being driven into a forest that was Heracross's territory because Team Rocket was stealing the sap from the trees that were in their own territory.

A Pinsir appeared at the beginning of Mewtwo Strikes Back, under the ownership of Raymond. He used it in his battle against Ash, where it battled Pikachu, alongside his Golem and Venomoth. All three were defeated simultaneously by Pikachu.

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga

In the TCG

Game data

NPC appearances

Pokémon Stadium 2: Pinsir stars in a mini-game alongside Scyther called "Clear Cut Challenge." Each player chops a falling log for each round of the game. The score for each player is determined by how close the player is to the white line on the log. Cuts anywhere above the log will cause the player to lose points.

Pinsir has a pair of massive horns. Protruding from the surface of these horns are thorns. These thorns are driven deeply into the foe's body when the pincer closes, making it tough for the foe to escape.

Pinsir has a pair of massive horns. Protruding from the surface of these horns are thorns. These thorns are driven deeply into the foe's body when the pincer closes, making it tough for the foe to escape.

Trivia

Pinsir can also be seen as a counterpart to Heracross. Both are Bug-type Pokémon based on beetles and lack an evolutionary family. Pinsir is not part Fighting like Heracross, but it learns several Fighting-type moves by leveling up. Both Pokémon and their Mega Stones are version exclusives in Pokémon X and Y: Pinsir and Pinsirite are exclusive to X while Heracross and Heracronite are exclusive to Y. Each Mega Stone can be found in Santalune Forest in its respective version. The heights of both Pokémon are the same, even when Mega Evolved.

Name origin

Pinsir is a corruption of pincer, referring to its horns.

Kailios may be a combination of the Greek letter Χ (カイ kai) and cross (referring to its scissor-like horns). Alternatively, it may be a combination of 傀 kai (large), 魁偉 kaii (brawny), or 刈 kai (cut) combined with κοριός korios (Greek for bug).